Daruk Boys Home

Daruk Boys Home

Evidence came forth from the Royal Commission of the horrific living conditions in which children living in state-run homes had to put up with.

In particular, the Daruk Boys Home located in Windsor, north-west of Sydney has been exposed as the scene of repeated, vicious and ongoing sexual abuse during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

Shocking evidence from the Royal Commission describes gruesome details of genital mutilation being performed by staffers on boys as young as thirteen. It was also alleged that several instances of rape and sexual abuse were carried out by multiple offenders, all of whom were in charge of providing care for their victims.

This has prompted the NSW government to privately apologise to the survivors of the abuse for the pain and suffering caused by the staffers at the institution. At Daruk, vulnerable children were exposed to ruthless predators; some with a history of employment at other similar institutions where the abuse allegedly occurred. For instance, Frank Valentine, a reject from Parramatta Girls’ Training School, was jailed in 2019 for raping a teenage boy at Daruk. The anal rape took place when the boy was a guest at Valentine’s family home. Valentine had to rush the assault when he heard his wife’s car pulling into the driveway.

One of the former Daruk Boys’ Home students, Guy Armstrong, told his story to the Royal Commission. He recalls cruel punishments, including many of the boys being locked in a solitary confinement cell for 24 hours at a time.

“It’s had a traumatic impact on a lot of people and I was lucky to get out, “ Mr Armstrong said.

Kelso Lawyers encourages anyone who experienced physical or sexual abuse by staff at a state-run NSW boys’ home to come forward to discuss your case.

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